Three cities have joined Birmingham to contest the right to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games with Kuala Lumpur and Victoria - who were original front runners - believed to be back in the race.

Birmingham had been the only interested city before the original 30 September deadline but its bid was deemed “not fully compliant.”

Cities in Australia, Canada and Malaysia are now believed have joined the bidding process after the deadline was moved to November 30.

Kuala Lumpur and Victoria, whose bids initially ran out of steam due to a lack of funding, are thought to be the cities involved from Malaysia and Canada respectively and Adelaide is the likely bidder from Australia.

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In a statement on Friday the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) said they have received “updates” from Australia, Canada and Malaysia but did not confirm firm bids.

Birmingham 2022 Aquatics Centre

The CGF said: “Updates have been received from Australia, Canada, England and Malaysia. The CGF wishes to thank all four countries for the interest that they have shown in hosting the Commonwealth Games.”

The body said it will offer an update on the 2022 host city following a board meeting on December 6.

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The £750 million pitch was the only one to be submitted by the Commonwealth Games Federation’s (CGF) deadline of September 30, with mooted bids from cities in Australia, Canada and Malaysia failing to materialise.

But having reviewed Birmingham’s bid at a meeting in Sri Lanka, the CGF’s executive board decided to give rival bids until November 30 to come forward.

When the CGF was forced to strip Durban of the Games in March it kick-started an abridged bidding race that soon became a two-horse contest between Birmingham and Liverpool.

That appeared to have been settled when the UK government announced Birmingham was its approved bidder and the Treasury would underwrite 75 per cent of the event’s costs, with Birmingham City Council providing the rest.